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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 16 is typically more expensive, but it offers better performance for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering tasks with its higher-end processor and graphics card, suited for users who need a powerful machine for demanding applications. It has a higher resolution screen and a faster refresh rate which can be beneficial for both gaming and professional applications that benefit from higher screen clarity and smoother motion. However, it's heavier and less portable than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, making it less ideal for those who travel frequently or prefer a lightweight laptop. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, on the other hand, is much less expensive and offers good general performance, making it suitable for everyday use like browsing, office applications, and light multitasking. It weighs less, enhancing its portability, but doesn't match the Acer Nitro 16's performance for more demanding software and tasks. Choose the Acer Nitro 16 for high performance and better display at the expense of portability and a higher cost, or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for everyday use with better portability and a lower price. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 16
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
- Good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.8
7.0
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for general use, though the Acer Nitro 16 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 16 is considered better for general use due to its higher-quality CPU and more RAM, which result in better multitasking and faster performance, as well as a superior screen with greater resolution and color coverage, enhancing the visual experience. Meanwhile, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, while more portable and with longer battery life, has a less powerful CPU and less RAM which might make it slower during demanding tasks, and its display, despite being sufficient, doesn't match the Acer's in terms of sharpness and color fidelity.
Gaming and AI
8.0
5.9
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is poor.
The Acer Nitro 16, equipped with an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 165, offers a substantially more powerful graphics performance and smoother visuals, making it very good for gaming and 3D applications. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3's use of an integrated AMD Ryzen Vega 6 GPU with a lower refresh rate of 60 means fair gaming and 3D performance, as it cannot handle demanding graphics as effectively.
Engineering and Design
8.2
6.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for engineering and design because it has a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, more RAM, and a high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, which are crucial for demanding tasks, plus a superior screen with higher resolution and color accuracy. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 offers less power with its AMD Ryzen 3 CPU and integrated graphics, less RAM, and a lower resolution screen, which makes it fair for engineering and design albeit more portable and with quieter operation.
Content Creation
7.8
7.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for content creation, though the Acer Nitro 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.7
7.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for software development, though the Acer Nitro 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.3
6.4
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you often work with engineering and design applications, the Acer Nitro 16, with its superior color accuracy, will provide a more true-to-life visual experience useful for detailed tasks, although for fast-paced gaming its lower refresh rate won’t be as smooth. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, on the other hand, offers a fair display that's adequate for daily tasks and non-professional design work, but may not be as vibrant or as crisp for professional creative applications. In both cases, neither laptop is ideally suited for high-end gaming or 3D work, where high refresh rates and exceptional resolution are key.
Portability
Fair
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
6.5
The Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,050
$400
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 costs $400.
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Key similarities
Battery
9.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has 10 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
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How the Acer Nitro 16 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,050 | $400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | March 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 14.2'' x 9.3'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 3.52 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 14.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 9.25" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | AMD Ryzen 3 7330U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 47 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 281 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 9.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2023
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
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Dig into reviews and images
Rtings
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | May 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is decent for use as a workstation. Its Intel CPU and integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. You also can't do any color-critical work because the available displays have a narrow color gamut. It has a good port selection, but its USB-C lacks Thunderbolt 4 support. On the upside, it has a comfortable keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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